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Detroit Pistons regular season primer

By David Topham

Oct 17, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (34) and guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) celebrates during the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (34) and guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) celebrates during the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the Detroit Pistons ready to kick off the regular season tonight, we take a look at some of the more pertinent information surrounding the team to keep in mind.

Rejoice! The NBA is back and the Detroit Pistons are back in action tonight when they visit the Toronto Raptors. With the regular season finally beginning, we wanted to take a look at some of the more pertinent information to keep in mind as the fun begins.

Expectations are high

You gotta start somewhere, and last year’s Pistons started something alright. By going 44-38, Detroit ended a six-year playoff drought as well as a seven-year streak of losing seasons. This year, most are expecting the Pistons to improve, and it’s easy to see why.

First off, they are young and hungry. The average age of their starters, when Reggie Jackson returns to the lineup, is 24.6. Last season, four of the starters were making their playoff debuts when game one vs. the Cavs tipped off.

Yes, they were swept, but they still played with swagger and a never-back-down mentality. This summer, I’ve seen members of the team reference the Eastern Conference Finals as a team goal multiple times, most recently when Jackson posted a video message on his Instagram following his platelet-rich plasma injections.

Second is continuity, as seen on this handy chart from from NBA.com’s John Schuhmann:

All of the starters and the sixth man are back, and the rest of the bench was bolstered through free agency.

Third, new heights became attainable after they acquired Tobias Harris at last year’s trade deadline. The Pistons finished 17-11 down the stretch with Harris on the team, and Harris himself scored 15 or more points in 17 of his 27 regular season appearances. People are eager to see if Detroit can keep up that kind of pace for a full season. 

All of this combined makes the future outlook very bright for this team, and there’s no telling how high the ceiling of this core actually is.

Altering the rotation at the last minute

The optimism surrounding the Pistons got a little dimmer following the news that Jackson would miss the first 15-20 games of the regular season. But this is exactly why they signed a backup like Ish Smith this offseason. They can count on him to run the offense.

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But prospects were less exciting for the backup point guard spot, which Lorenzo Brown and Ray McCallum competed for throughout camp. McCallum won the spot and the team waived Brown on Saturday, so the roster appeared to be set for the regular season.

But then Detroit went and made a splash by claiming Beno Udrih, who was just let go by Miami, and waiving McCallum just two days later. The likely reasoning here is that Udrih, 34, is a veteran who has plenty of experience. In fact, before Udrih was signed, the oldest Piston was 28 years old, so Stan Van Gundy is likely pleased to be adding a veteran presence.

Udrih is going to immediately enter the rotation as the backup point guard, so it will be interesting to watch how he and the Pistons adjust to the new situation on the fly.

Schedule quirks to keep in mind

Pistons’ coach Van Gundy is a loud critic of the scheduling imbalances that exist in the NBA, which the league is constantly looking to improve upon. This year, the schedule and Jackson’s early season absence could provide some trouble.

Why? For starters, the Detroit Pistons play the most games (20) and back-to-back sets (5) out of any Eastern Conference team in the months of October and November.

Also, any early season slips sans Jackson could prove costly because the Pistons play eight of their last 12 games on the road. And, in March alone, Detroit has five back-to-back sets, which could prove daunting.

However, it’s not all bad. The Pistons will travel some of the fewest miles of any NBA team this coming season:

Next: Creating offense without Reggie Jackson

Everybody gear up and enjoy as the Pistons tip off the season at 7:30 p.m. ET tonight when they visit the Toronto Raptors.

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